Billingham residents oppose plan for 89 industrial units

The new units would be built on Macklin Avenue in Billingham

People living near an industrial estate have raised concerns over plans to create a further 89 units at the site.

Proposals have been submitted to partly demolish a building and erect additional units on the Cowpen Lane Industrial Estate, Billingham.

Developer JCM Plants said it would create hundreds of jobs and be "sympathetic" to its surroundings.

However, residents said the development could make traffic "unbearable".

The proposals suggest an existing one-storey building on Macklin Avenue would be redeveloped into 45 self-storage units.

A further 36 "starter units" along with several "employment" buildings and 247 parking spaces would then be created on the remaining available land.

In a statement submitted by Lichfields on behalf of the developer, it said the buildings would be "high quality and in keeping" with existing industrial units.

But the scheme has attracted a number of concerns from residents, who said a potential increase in noise and traffic would affect their health, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

One person said the nearby village of Cowpen Bewly was a "rat run for traffic" and believed there would be more vehicles travelling through it each day.

Another said an increase in vehicles would "greatly increase pollution," further increasing noise pollution and making the area "unhealthy and physically unsafe to reside".

Lichfields senior director Neil Westwick argued the scheme would create employment and that "it is an industrial site with industrial development".

"We've done a traffic study and we'll also have a traffic management plan conditioned as part of the planning application," he said.

He added that it would discuss residents' concerns with Stockton Borough Council "at the appropriate time" and "address them as necessary".

The council is due to decide on the plans later.